Much like his father Roger, Stuart Binny is a hard-hitting batsman in the lower middle order and a bowler of medium-paced swing and seam with a distinctive leap into a side-on delivery stride. He struggled initially to find a regular place in the Karnataka line-up, and signed up for the Indian Cricket League in 2007. He made a name for himself as one of the tournament's premier allrounders, playing for Hyderabad Heroes and India XI.

After two seasons in the unsanctioned tournament, Binny accepted the BCCI's amnesty offer and quit the ICL. He returned to the Karnataka squad and established himself as an important member of the side, often scoring runs in crisis situations and chipping in regularly as a partnership-breaker. He was picked in the India A squad for the tour of South Africa in 2013 and was rewarded with a national call-up later that year with the ODI squad to New Zealand. He had a solid domestic season in 2013-14, scoring 443 runs at 43.22 and taking 14 wickets at 32.64, playing a key role in Karnataka's storming run to the Ranji Trophy title. Selected for an ODI tour of Bangladesh, he surprised everyone - possibly including himself - with his figures of 6 for 4, the best by an Indian bowler in ODIs, in the second ODI in Mirpur.

Binny was a surprise inclusion in the squad for the five-Test series in England in 2014, and with India looking for an extra bowling option, he made his debut in the first Test at Trent Bridge. There was little help for him on an uncharacteristically dry and slow track, and he finished wicketless in the 10 overs he bowled, but he played a crucial role with the bat in India's second innings, calming their nerves after a mini-collapse on the final day and helping save the Test with an innings of 78. Binny was dismissed cheaply in both innings of the second Test at Lord's, and was left out for the third and fourth Tests. He returned at The Oval, went wicketless again, and was the not-out batsman on 25 when India slumped to 94 all out in their final innings of the series.

Binny remained a regular in India's ODI squads, though his playing opportunities were limited. He went to the 2015 World Cup, but didn't get to play a match. He was called up midway through the Test tour of Sri Lanka later that year, and performed creditably with the ball to play a small but important role in India's 2-1 series win. India picked him for the second Test of the home series against South Africa later in the year at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, his home ground, but rain washed out the last four days, restricting his contribution to a mere three overs.

Binny was a regular member of the Rajasthan Royals line-up from 2011 to 2015, and, following the team's suspension ahead of the 2016 season, was signed up by his hometown franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 2 crore.ESPNcricinfo staff

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